Films
How Black People Won World War 2
Sunday 14th October 11am to 1pm then 2pm-5.00pm
Conference Room, Imperial War Museum, Lambeth Road SE1
Tube: Lambeth North.
www.iwm.org.uk
A detailed and extensive look at the African and, Caribbean war effort with video clips and interviews with black Spitfire & bomber pilots, Nigerian and Somali troops fighting in Burma, black and asian women secret agents, u-boats in the Caribbean and the importance of Africa's raw materials. Plus numerous heroic stories that were excised from history.
This will be an interactive session with quoted resources, great for adults and kids as WW2 is on the curriculum but black faces are strangely absent
From 11am to 1pm we will be screening films on the black american presence in World War 2. This will include the premiere of the Wereth 11 at 11am, then How Black People Won World War 2 at 2pm.
Wereth 11 This remarkable docudrama, written and directed by Robert Child, chronicles the story of 11 African-American soldiers who were captured and brutally murdered near Wereth, Belgium, by the Nazi SS during the Battle of the Bulge. The men were members of the 333rd Field Artillery Battalion, and their terrible tale has been called one of the least-known atrocities of World War II. Narrated by actor Corey Reynolds, The Wereth Eleven weaves together excellent interviews with WWII veterans and historians, never-before-seen archival footage, and top-notch visual effects (including CGI-animated graphics), while Ken Arnold leads an impressive cast in the reenactments. A winner of the Founder s Choice Award at the 2011 GI Film Festival, DVD extras here include bonus interviews and panel discussions. Highly recommended . Editor s Choice. --Video Librarian
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Performing Black Bodies in White Spaces:Films and talk to explore how African Descendants across the Diaspora use dance to celebrate their African heritage
Saturday 13 October 6pm to 9pm
Peckham Plex Cinema, Rye Lane, SE15. British Rail Peckham Rye
Admission: Free but must book http://performingblackbodies.eventbrite.com/
or phone 020 7525 3415
A screening of films ‘Temporary Sanity: The Skerrit Boy Story’ that features Jamaican dance culture in New York. Followed by ‘Ebony Goddess: Queen of Ile Aiye’, about Brazilian women resisting European beauty standards with dance. The talk will be delivered by Dr Nathalie Montlouis and guests who will explore the perception of African/Caribbean traditional and modern dance and their portrayal in the mainstream media; followed by discussion and performances by Caribbean dance group Zil'Oka .
Delivered in association with Images of Black Women Film Festival and Black History Walks.Part of Southwark Council's Black History Month 2012 programme.
Skerrit Boy:
A documentary produced by Dan Bruun in 2006 as part of his Visual Anthropology Masters at, University of Manchester. The film explores the cultures, gendered performances and political expressions that form part of Jamaican Dance Hall in New York. By following 'Skerrit Bwoy' a Bronx based performer and promoter of Dance Hall music, the film gives an insider's view into the dancing, history and social roles of Dance Hall clubs in the lives of the Jamaican and Caribbean Diaspora in the United States
Ebony Goddess
This documentary follows three women competing to be the carnival queen of Ilê Aiyê, a prominent and controversial Afro-Brazilian group with an all-black membership. The selection is based on Afro-centric notions of beauty, in counterpoint to prevailing standards of beauty in Brazil, a country famous for slim supermodels and plastic surgery. Contestants for the title of Ebony Goddess dress in flowing African-style garments, gracefully performing traditional Afro-Brazilian dances to songs praising the beauty of black women
Q and A with
Dr. Lez Henry is a Social Anthropologist who lectured in the Department Of Sociology, Goldsmiths College. He is also is a writer, public speaker and community activist. The author of a number of books on race, culture, history, music and politics Shantelle George is a PhD Student in History of Africa and its Diaspora at SOAS.Her work is based on the. experiences and cultural legacies of the West and Central African immigrants forcibly sent to Grenada and St. Lucia in the mid-nineteenth century.
Nathalie Montlouis shares her doctoral research on African-Caribbean dances and their potential positive effects on the self esteem of people of African descent. She will demonstrate how mainstream medias are doing a symbolic violence to women and men of African decent and how this violence can be counteracted through dance and music. From short music videos, discussion on issues around “the Dancehall queen”, “the righteous woman”, what is “dirty dancing”; to live traditional Caribbean dance demonstration by Zil’Oka with an examination of similarities to African dances and culture by choreographer Madee Ngo, this event will aims to prove how important it is to create and celebrate one's own standards.
Madee Ngo performer, choreographer and teacher, based in London. A native Congolese who grew up in France and graduated with a degree in choreographic art and show critic expertise. Madee has a huge understanding of the dances from the African diaspora as well as the issues linked to practicing these dances, the representation and the cultural aspects into each style. Founder the African dance workout Active Afro Training.